The Best Damn Vegan Mashed Potatoes

Remember a few weeks back when I made coconut cream pie french toast? Well, this recipe came from the same place of inspiration: while I was working out watching the Food Network. Apparently, it’s my zen place.

Tyler Florence was making a version of mashed potatoes I’d never seen before. He cooked the potatoes in whole milk and cream to produce the creamiest, must luxurious mashed potatoes I’d ever laid eyes on. Obviously, I can’t do dairy because it hates me. So I wanted to try a vegan version to see if it worked sans cream.

Turns out, if you cook potatoes in unsweetened plain almond milk, it really just makes them kind of mealy and they taste like almond milk. Yick. Back to the drawing board. NOW YOU KNOW.

Another few attempts at the best damn vegan mashers yielded massive success. It turns out, you don’t need to cook them in anything other than plain old water. It’s the type of potatoes and mix-ins that make all the difference.

Instructions

Place potatoes in a large saucepan or pot and cover with water. Bring to a light boil over medium-high heat, add 1 tsp of sea salt (as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), cover and cook for 25-30 minutes or until very tender. They should effortlessly slide off a knife when pierced with a knife.

While the potatoes are cooking, chop up your chives and measure your butter.

Once tender, drain your potatoes and place them back in the hot pot off the heat for 1 minute to evaporate any additional water. Then transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Mash your potatoes using either a potato masher or a hand mixer until fluffy. Note: Be careful using a hand mixer as you can overmix the potatoes and they can become gluey. It’s personally the method I prefer as I don’t own a potato masher. I just make sure not to overmix.

Add in butter, garlic, salt, and black pepper and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Lastly top with chives, stir and serve as is or with your favorite gravy (or mushroom gravy). Leftovers will keep in the fridge covered for up to a few days.

Notes

*Use organic potatoes if possible, especially since you leave the skin on.*To roast a head of garlic, simply cup the top off to expose tips, rub with olive oil, wrap in foil and bake for 50 minutes – 1 hour in a 400-degree F (204 C) oven directly on the rack. Cloves should squeeze out easily once cooled. Discard skins/peel.*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.

Similar to what other commenters have said, these were–hands down–the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had, vegan or not! I probably used closer to 6 tbsp of vegan butter and added a generous amount of salt while adding in the butter and garlic. I will definitely be making this again!

Thanks so much for the lovely review, Brenda. We are so glad you enjoyed them! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo

I’m not vegan, but my sister is so I make these for her at family dinners. She swears they’re the best mashed potatoes she’s ever had, and everyone else in the family that isn’t vegan enjoys them too. I double the amount of vegan butter in the recipe, and add about 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk. Great recipe!!

I don’t have a potato masher either – one day, I decided I wanted mashed potatoes & wondered how I would mash them. Looking thru my cabinet, I spied my pastry cutter. I gave it a shot & now I wonder why anyone would use anything else – try it & you may find you like it !! It’s really handy when making twice baked potatoes. I add in all sorts of things like butter, cheese & bacon – it cuts everything together quite nicely.

Folks, it’s true. These ARE the best damn vegan mashed potatoes. I used baby yellow potatoes for these, with sautéed garlic instead of roasted because I was short on time. I also added some cashew milk because I like my potatoes a little creamier. These were creamy, dreamy, and garlicky, and the chives took it over the top! Love! Great with Dana’s lentil mushroom stew.

I just made this and it was AMAZING! I had to add about a cup of unsweetened soy milk to avoid it being dry and to get the creamy texture I wanted, but the rest was great. Perhaps this was because my bag of potatoes did not indicate what type they were (therefore were probably not Yukon gold?)! I did not feel like adding ground pepper and did not have chives, but the flavour of the roasted garlic (I added 2 bulbs!) was so beautiful and perfect. Ate it with roasted asparagus and Brussel’s sprouts, fresh cherry tomatoes, and “tofu magique” (by Bob le Chef). Thank you for a great recipe!

The best damned is right. The method also yields a good texture where other recipes ended up gluey. I try and not use oils so I use a tbsp or two of olive oil instead of vegan butter (oil is oil). It still works with less quantity and was delish. Roasted garlic come on! How could it not. And I even heat them up a day or two later with a sprinkle of water and love them. Score MB!

These were so good! I dare say they were some of the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had. Changes I made: russet potatoes (that’s all I had on hand), peeled them(since their skin is thicker and not that appetizing to my family), and I did the option of sauteeing the garlic in EVOO. Thanks, this is now my way of making mashed potatoes for life 😁

Yukon Gold potatoes aren’t available in Australia. Nor is vegan butter is easy to find (the ones I’ve seen are mixed reviews). I am dairy free though. What do you suggest as alternatives for both? Would appreciate your help, Thank you :)

Sadly, of all of the amazing recipes I’ve cooked from this blog, this is the first miss I’ve made that I won’t be making again. By putting the potatoes back into the pan to dry out, and then adding only 3-4 T of butter what we needed up with was a pile of dry, hard to swallow, potato mash. We ended up adding some of the cooking water in to be able to moisten it up. As written this did not turn out well at all.

I just made these, and they turned out pretty dry. I normally use russets, so maybe it was that? I tried adding a TON more Earth Balance, and it still didn’t do the trick. Next time I might try the other commenters’ suggestion of coconut milk to give them a more moist and creamy texture.

These are the best damn vegan mashed potatoes! I am infamous for botching potato dishes but I did just fine with this recipe. I think they tasted better the 2nd and 3rd day vs. the evening I made them. The only thing I might change is a bit less garlic. I topped with store bought vegan mushroom gravy but they were equally good without.

Yes, yes, and yes! A perfect mashed potato recipe! I followed it exactly as it is written. No milk or cream needed for mashed potatoes is a huge WOW! You made my first very veggie Thanksgiving taste just like home. Thank you.

Hi Dana,
I have made this mashed potato several times and it is great!!! I would like to share a link to your recipe on my blog; hoping that is is ok – blog is Defining Third Age and still under construction!!! (Never knew how much there is to this blog thing!)
I also plan on sharing your green bean casserole recipe as well…I turn to your articles and recipes frequently as my husband and I transition to whole food – plant based eating and want to share them with others!
Thanks!!!
Nancy

Just to add to the variety of options, I make fat free mashed potatoes with fat free cream cheese (philly is best). I make vegan mashed potatoes with cashew cream. Just soak raw cashews in water, blend until very smooth, and cook until thick. The ratio of cashews to water depends on the degree of thickness that you want. Choose seasonings to taste. I make gravy or fondue with a ratio of 1/4 cup cashews per cup of liquid. (3/4 cups of cashews blended with 1 28 oz. can of green chili enchilada sauce and cooked until thickened, makes a great fondue type dip. also can be used as a sauce in a casserole.

I made this yesterday for dinner with brisket. I think it’s a great recipe but to be honest, the Earth Balance gave the mashed potatoe a very noticable aftertaste that I did not care for. Next time I’ll replace the Earth Balance with olive oil. Earth Balance may work for some people really well, but for me it ruined the dish. I recommend try making it first with Earth Balance and if you don’t like how it taste, substitute next time with olive oil.

I have an issue with using the vegan butter as it always contains oil. What could I possibly use to make these potatoes creamy? Have you ever tried cashew cream or cashew mayo in these? I won’t use products that contain oil if it has been extracted from the fruit or not from which it was processed. Palm oil and coconut oil have more saturated fat than butter and I have found they drive up my cholesterol.

I made these the other night with unsweetened cashew milk instead of butter and they were perfect!! You couldn’t taste the milk at all…cashew milk has a much more subtle taste than almond milk. I also used 4 Yukon gold potatoes and 2 red potatoes. Thanks for the recipe, these are the best vegan mashed potatoes I’ve had! :)

I’m new to this no dairy mashed potato idea. I like to make my mashed potatoes ahead of time to minimize preparations the day of the event. Does anyone have experience with making this recipe a day or two before, refrigerating it, and baking/heating on the day of the event?

Hi there! Just tested these out for Thanksgiving and they’re delish!! I’m concerned some guests may be picky with skin-on mashed potatoes. Can I peel the potatoes before boiling or would that affect the recipe in any way? Thanks!

What a delight! Everyone loved these potatoes! I added some almond milk to it to make it a bit creamier and made some gravy from vegan and gf bouillon cubes. Thanks for the recipe, I’ve been craving good mashed potatoes!

I just made these and they’re delicious. I did add my own special touch though. It’s a family ingriedent that I grew up on. I grew up putting mayo in our mashed potatoes but since this is a vegan recipe I used veganaise. It gives it that perfect creamy consistently. It made them so yummy. Don’t believe me try it yourself

These are easily the best mashed potatoes, vegan or not, I’ve ever had. I agree that adding almond milk does make it slightly gummy so this recipe was a total success for me. The roasted garlic adds a TON of flavor and gold potatoes are soooo creamy. I brought this to a Family Thanksgiving and many people couldn’t believe this was vegan. Best Mashed Potatoes Ever!

This sounds great! I have heard of people adding a little mayo into their potatoes and it making a big difference but never tried it. I use Just mayo. If I added it, how much should I add? Also, do you think it would make them better to add a little almond milk if you’re used to using milk in them? Thanks ?

I made these today to determine which mashed potatoes I’ll make for Thanksgiving (these easily won!) I had leftovers today and decided to attempt some croquettes. I rolled these into tablespoon sized balls, dipped in almond milk, and then rolled in Pablo bread crumbs. I baked half of them at 350 for 20 min (flipping half way through) and fried the other half in inch of vegetable oil on stove. Both versions were delicious with pros and cons- baked croquettes didn’t brown and fried ones fell apart slightly. I’d still make both versions again though!

I made these mashed potatoes for my vegan granddaughter for Thanksgiving last year. I, also, made traditional mashed potatoes for our non-vegans. This year I’m only making the vegan mashed potatoes because they are amazing and much tastier.

If you wanted to make these a day or two in advance would they still tasted as good, or better? Also, would you just warm them in a 350 oven for 20-30 minutes? Any info would be super helpful, thanks! :)

I just made these and it was my first time ever making mashed potatoes! I halved the recipe and found them slightly dry so I cooked up a package of frozen spinach… it added moisture, more nutrients AND it’s delicious!

Instead of milk/cream in mashed potatoes, I’ve made these with cashew sour cream. (Cashews (soaked), Water, ice, lemon juice, salt in the vitamix). They are SO creamy and even the leftovers are creamy. No need to add more butter when reheating. They are phenomenal.

Hi Dana! I am Planning our first all vegan thanksgiving this year, I am so excited to try these out. I found your mushroom gravy and butternut sweet potato dish as well. I am making them all ?. I then decided I need your cookbook too. I had tried a cookie recipe of your awhile back and it was outstanding. Thank you for putting this out there for others in support of a more healthy sustainable future and less animal cruelty ❤️. Happy thanksgiving!

Hi! I just came across your website in a google search for “vegan mashed potatoes.” I’m not vegan, but my parents keep kosher so all our sides essentially have to be vegan. I was so excited to make this so I did last night, and I’ll definitely be making these again for Thanksgiving x 3! I also added some caramelized shallots, and omitted the chives as the shallot does the trick. I may add some green leaf for presentation on Thursday. This was delicious, thanks for sharing.

Hey! This recipe looks delicious. I’m wondering if adding a bit of almond milk would make it taste too much like it. I wouldn’t boil the potatoes with it though. Also, does this taste too much like garlic??? I’m not too fond of a strong garlic taste. It seems like quite a bit of cloves.
Thanks! I hope to rate how it came out on Thanksgiving! :D ♡

Hi Dana, I’m preparing my first vegan Thanksgiving for a crowd of meat eaters. I will be making these mashed potatoes. Have you tried making them ahead and freezing them? I like to prepare thanksgiving dishes ahead of time and freeze to cut down on my time on the day of. I would be putting these in a large foil casserole size pan. Have any tips? will this work?

So I know it says this recipe serves 4 but what are the portions like? I’ll be serving 15 and I don’t wanna look like a crazy lady making too much…then again Thanksgiving leftovers are the best thing in the world!

I cannot remember the last time I commented on a blog or forum ever in my life although I read them all day every day. I just wanted to let you know that I absolutely love your dishes and I plan my weekly meal plan around them. My family began eating healthy a few months ago after we found out my husband had health problems. I love the fact that most of your recipes are from one bowl, have few ingredients, and are quick. We have both lost a bunch of weight and feel so much better. I wanted to say thank you for sharing your talent with the world because we are better for it. Keep up the good work! If you were in front of me I would hug you. :)

My earlier efforts of vegan mashed potatoes always involved almond milk, and the texture was never right. These are fabulous. I used Earth Balance butter and 2-3 teaspoons minced garlic. I skipped the chives for topping, and served with Bush’s vegetarian baked beans. It was even a hit with animal product consumers in my family. I have made this recipe many times and recommend it!

Delicious!!!! I’m kind of known for taking mashed potatoes to a new level, however, it involved (I now realize) disgusting amounts of dairy. We host Thanksgiving every year and we’re working on getting the perfect replacement recipes together for the big day and these will be the recipe I use!

Last night, we had these with a Seitan Piccata. It was vegan food Nirvana! The only changes made were to throw some smashed garlic into the water with the cooking potatoes (didn’t have any roasted and that’s just how I’ve always done it) and I mixed in some nooch as I was mashing it all (in the pan – I hate dishes). With potatoes and pasta, I always save a bit of the cooking water to add back if moisture is needed, and that came in really handy. Thank you for a great recipe!

I can’t believe these are vegan! One of the things I’ve learned about cooking vegan is that you don’t always need tons of ingredients. Like you mentioned, sometimes you just need something simple and easy and then add fixings to it later.

These were AMAZING!! My son just recently became vegan and I’ve made this recipe as well as your eggplant parm and pumpkin pie. Everything is soooo good and so easy!

With the eggplant parm, I ended up layering them in a casserole dish (like a lasagna) with tomato sauce and baked them to melt the cheese. Turned out great and brought it to dinner with non-vegans and everyone raved!

I LOVE this site and I’m looking forward to making more dishes! Thanks!

I took half the butter and mixed in a tablespoon of miso paste, the stuff you make soup with, melted it in the micro and added that in. My wife could not figure out what it was, but she said it was good!

I made this dish for Thanksgiving today (my husband’s parents are vegan). It was so easy to make, and everyone loved the potatoes! The roasted garlic was an excellent touch. I will be making them again!

I followed your instructions but felt like mine came out super dry so I had to add milk to them to make them perfect consistency. My dinner guests thought they were delicious but I was looking forward to not having to add milk since I’m lactose intolerant but did it anyway because I didn’t want everyone to suffer from dry potatoes on my behalf

Awesome, I made these vegan mashed potatoes for a friend of mine. I had no vegan butter handy so I used palm shortening and extra virgin olive oil, plus a little ground mustard. It was probably not as good as yours but pretty good. Key is the potatoes, really.

I did find that I could use garlic powder instead of cloves.. leaving me to ask if you think a light vanilla-flavored Soy milk would overpower the taste of the potatoes? I know someone said no to Almond milk, and I’m not a fan of “Original” Soy milk, so what about a light vanilla-flavored Soy milk?

Looking forward to trying these. I’m test driving recipes for our family thanksgiving. My MIL is vegan and joining us, so the more things I can make vegan to start with, the less I have to make 2 of! Thanks for experimenting and giving me a starting point! I’ve got my southern green beans modified already. You’re right, earth balance is the bomb and a great substitute in the green beans for the bacon grease.

my boyfriend makes the most insane vegan mashed potatoes and the recipe is similar–the secret is a teeny bit of veganaise. it’s hard to watch him make them (so much e.b!) but once in a while they’re such a tasty treat.

How much vegan mayo does he add? I use Just mayo and I’ve heard of people putting a little mayo in mashed potatoes before but never tried it. Also, do you think Adding a little almond milk would make it better if you’re used to using milk in them?

I always use almond milk in my mashed and never thought they were mealy. I do boil the milk first before adding, if that makes a difference. Or maybe I’m just used to the mealy taste. I can’t wait to try your recipe. Thank you!

I love, love, LOVE roasted garlic! I’m not vegan but always have Nuttelex (vegan butter) in the fridge as well as some top notch real butter. My mashed potatoes usually have an obscene amount of real butter and cream in them so this would definitely be a much healthier option. :)

These look AMAZING! I too have made the error of putting almond milk… bleh! So gross!! LOL
Roasted garlic and vegan butter + potatoes… ALL good in my books!!
If you add crispy fried onions to the top of these it will BLOW your mind!! SO yummy!!

This brought the biggest smile to my face: “while I was working out watching the Food Network. Apparently, it’s my zen place.” haha!!! Can I just say, I understand what you mean 100% ! And these look fantastic – so making them for my next holiday get together.

I’m in my way 50s and I tasted that melt, and I’ve been vegan my whole life and it was the most horrible tasting stuff ever. You have got a tough pallet if you can eat that. I like the no soy Earth Balance. what’s really strange is they make I’m mainstream strange margarine and within that mainstream one they just came out with a new one called vegan. And they came out with a new one called organic. But as far as I know they did not combine the two. Very confusing wine it not just go vegan organic?

I thought the same thing! Why is it either/or? Can’t have my organic vegan margarine? The unfortunate aspect of most vegan butter though is the use of palm oil :( a good option might be to make your own vegan butter (if your confident like that) or opt for pasture raised, no growth hormones, grass fed butters.

This is a beautiful butter, but a bit more costly than Earth Balance. I reserve Miyokos for m morning toast. However, Miyoko has a recipe for butter that I will be making soon! It’s so much more affordable. I don’t know what I would do without The Minimalist Baker and Miyoko Schinner. My absolute 2 faves!

All vegan cheeses are not created equal. It’s like finding your Prince Charming, you have to kiss alot of frogs before you find your prince. I recommend Trader Joe’s vegan soy mozzarella and sliced wrapped cheddar cheese. I’ve tried different shredded varieties of mozzarella cheese and they don’t melt or brown well. Try these out and you may find out you’re a closet vegan!

I’m planning on making a Tofurkey roast with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce for my girlfriend tonight (she’s vegan, I’m omnivore). This is easily the best looking vegan mashed potatoes recipe I found. I’d heard of Earth Balance but never had it myself. After reading this recipe I picked some up at the local grocery store, and tried some when I got home. I swear, I’m switching to it myself. It tastes SO good. Better than my “healthy but real” butter that I usually use. Definitely give Earth Balance a try.

Having a potato/glycemic index PHOBIA…alas….I am SOOO going to try this exactly as you have prepared it…but with celery root/celeriac instead!…Your images simply invite one to grab the nearest (large) spoon!

Remember cauliflower works this way also! Steemit well rather than boil. You could do 95% cauliflower and 5% potato. The Yukon Golds have a different kind of starch they’re considered waxy. Something else I found out if you eat black beans preferably home-made not from a can with potatoes it cancels out the reaction of starch in the typical manner of turn into sugar, IE the reaction with your pancreas. Something about the fiber in black beans just compliments potatoes like crazy it can even stand up to the russets which are super starch and turn to sugar. I found that my body accepts them really well if I have the black beans with it! It’s fantastic! And any of the nut milks if made properly added towards the end in a small amount will cream things up. I love my potatoes and garlic. I pretty much love garlic and anything. I use a shocking amount

Haven’t had a chance to make this exact recipe. But I do know almond milk didn’t compliment the potatoes at all. I will try the coconut milk next time. Would you recommend using canned for this?
@Gomez This is some great info! I have an awful time processing potatoes. Maybe the homemade pot of black beans will help me too. I have so many sensitivities to foods. Anything, and everything like this is super helpful. ?

I totally agree that Yukon golds make the best mashed potatoes. And no to almond milk in them–I’ve also tried that plenty of times. It just does not work. I love your add-ins, as well. The roasted garlic seems like it would take these to the next level.

Yes and it’s delicious! I saute garlic, ginger and finely chopped cauliflower in coconut oil and then I mash this into the potatoes and add a can of coconut milk for the creamy factor. This was a hit at my house and the coconut taste is very subtle….Ginger in there is really nice too.

I’ve never made the mashed potatoes in this recipe but every time I make them I use coconut milk. Turn out delicious every time! This year for thanksgiving I’m making the mashed potatoes with macadamia nut milk bc since my father in law is allergic to coconut and I don’t have to make two batches! I’m hoping it will turn out just as good, seeing as I haven’t tried it this way before! :)

I add coconut cream (chilled full-fat coconut milk from a can) to all my mashed potato dishes. I feel as though it’s a great alternative to the heavy cream used in traditional recipes. It makes them very creamy and smooth, and I personally can’t taste the coconut flavor at all.